One year has passed since Mahsa Amini protests erupted in Iran following the tragic death of Jina Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by Tehran’s morality police. What developments have unfolded over the past year, and what insights are political experts and commentators offering about the future?
Mahsa Amini protests that began in the hometown of Amini after her death, quickly spread to other cities and became one of the key mobilisations of our times. These demonstrations were among the largest in the country’s history and were met with severe government repression.
In these protests, young women took to the streets, removing their headscarves and trying to make their voices heard with slogans like “Women, Life, Freedom.” According to human rights organizations, at least 527 people have lost their lives in these protests in the past year.
New Laws in Iran After Mahsa Amini Protests
The uprising has caused contention within the regime as while Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the United States and Israel regarding what is happening in the country, former Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani stated that the compulsory headscarf law needs to be reviewed.
Along with the mass arrests and death sentences after Mahsa Amini’s death, the Iranian government is still continuing to respond to these protests with stricter measures. The new law passed on August 22 imposes prison sentences of up to 15 years for those who do not comply with Islamic dress code rules. Additionally, publishing photos of women without headscarves on the internet is now also subject to punishment.
Sociologist Hewjîn Beqalî who assessed the legacy of the Mahsa Amini protests for Bianet, contrasted the mobilisation with the 2017 protests which focused on the high cost of living and rampant inflation. However, with the Women, Life, Freedom protests, the word “revolution” came to the forefront. Beqalî stated:
“In Iran, there is no longer any demand from the government but a call for a revolution.”
In a conversation on the legacies of the uprising, John Yang of PBS News highlighted that while the mandatory hijab law remains in effect, and (despite apparent disbandment) the morality police have resumed patrolling this summer, on the streets of Tehran, more women, both young and old, are boldly defying the hijab requirement.
Actress and activist Nazanin Boniadi also highlighted how even if “we’re not seeing the same numbers on the streets, the revolution is very much alive in the hearts and the minds of the Iranian people.” She underlined how everyday resistance takes place with “hundreds of thousands of Iranian women are currently on the streets of Iran every day and major Iranian cities, flouting the compulsory hijabs law.”